-
Okay, well, I would have you turn
-
once again to the Song of Solomon.
-
A little book of 8 chapters right before
-
the major prophet Isaiah.
-
After the Proverbs and Ecclesiastes
-
you will find the Song of Solomon.
-
We are actually in the midst of a study
-
of the book of Ephesians,
-
but there is a place in
chapter 3 of Ephesians
-
where the apostle tells the Ephesians
-
that he is praying for them
-
and how he bends the
knee before His Father,
-
and what it is that he lifts up.
-
And his desire is this,
-
that God according to
the riches of His glory
-
would do something in these Ephesians.
-
And it specifically has to
do with the love of Christ.
-
He wants them to be
strengthened with power
-
by the Spirit in their inner being.
-
He wants them to be able to comprehend
-
what the breadth and length
-
and height and depth
-
and to know the love of Christ
-
that surpasses understanding or knowledge.
-
And one of the ways that I'm wanting
-
to help bring that out -
-
if the Lord will allow that to happen -
-
is by taking us to the Song of Solomon.
-
Right here at the beginning,
-
you can just move your eyes
-
to Song of Solomon 1:15.
-
I mentioned this last week and told you
-
that I'd be going back here.
-
"Behold, you are beautiful, My love.
-
Behold, you are beautiful.
-
Your eyes are doves."
-
Now, I thought that
perhaps I would just start -
-
this is not inspired,
-
but I think nevertheless helpful.
-
Charles Spurgeon in his
introductory remarks
-
to a message that he preached
from the Song of Solomon.
-
And I don't exactly remember what
verse it was he was preaching on,
-
but he had an introduction to the message.
-
And these are the things that he said.
-
Spurgeon:
-
"Certain theologians have doubted
-
the inspiration of Solomon's Song.
-
Others have conceived
it to be nothing more
-
than a specimen of ancient love songs.
-
Some have been afraid
to preach from it
-
because of it's highly
poetical character."
-
And I think what he
means by highly poetical
-
is its sensual character.
-
Now listen to this.
-
In his estimation,
-
"the true reason for why men avoid
-
one of the most heavenly
portions of God's Word
-
lies in the fact that
the spirit of this song
-
is not easily attained.
-
Its music belongs to
a higher spiritual life
-
and has no charm in
it for unspiritual ears.
-
The Song of Solomon
occupies a sacred enclosure
-
into which none may enter unprepared.
-
'Put off thy shoes from off they feet,
-
for the place whereon
thou standest is holy ground,'
-
is the warning voice from
its secret tabernacles."
-
Now listen, he looks at all
of the books in the Bible
-
and he says this:
-
"The historical books of the Bible,
-
I may compare to the
outer courts of the temple."
-
He says, "the Gospels, the epistles,
-
and the Psalms bring us
into the holy place
-
or the court of the priests.
-
But the Song of Solomon
is the most holy place -
-
the holy of holies,
-
before which the veil still hangs
-
to many an untaught believer.
-
It's not all the saints
who can enter here.
-
For they have not yet attained
unto the holy confidence of faith,
-
and that exceeding familiarity of love
-
which will permit them to commune
-
in conjugal love with
the great Bridegroom.
-
The Song is in truth a book
for full grown Christians.
-
It takes a man who has leaned his head
-
upon the bosom of his Master
-
and been baptized with His baptism
-
to ascend the lofty mountains of love
-
on which the spouse
stands with her Beloved.
-
The Song of Solomon from the first verse
-
to the last will be clear to those
-
who have received an
unction from the Holy One.
-
You're aware, dear friends,
-
that there are very few commentaries
-
upon the epistles of John,
-
where we find 50 commentaries
upon the book of Saint Paul,
-
you will hardly find one upon John.
-
Why is that? Is the book too difficult?
-
The words are very simple.
-
There's hardly a word of four syllables
-
anywhere in John's epistles.
-
Ah, but they are so saturated
through and through
-
with the spirit of love
-
which also perfumes the book of Solomon,
-
that those who are not taught
-
in the school of communion cry out,
-
'we cannot read it, for it's sealed.'
-
The Song of Solomon is a golden casket
-
of which love is the key
rather than learning.
-
Those who have not attained
unto heights of affection;
-
those who have not been educated
by familiar intercourse with Jesus
-
cannot come near to this mine of treasure
-
seeing it is hid from
the eyes of all living
-
and kept closed from the fouls of heaven.
-
Oh for the soaring eagle wing of John;
-
oh for the seeing dove's eyes of Solomon.
-
But the most of us are blind
and cannot see afar off."
-
And you know what he prays?
-
He basically prays for his people
-
that day much like Paul prays
-
there in Ephesians 3,
-
"may God be pleased to
make us grow in grace
-
and give us so much of the Holy Spirit
-
that with feet like hinds' feet,
-
we may stand upon the
high places of Scripture
-
and this morning have some
near and dear intercourse
-
with Christ Jesus."
-
The Song of Solomon.
-
This is not a book to come to
-
if you're simply looking for
expositions of correct doctrine.
-
That is most true.
-
There is correct doctrine here,
-
but it's not for the cold;
-
it's not for the dry;
it's not for the academic.
-
Song of Songs.
-
Holy of holies.
-
Undoubtedly, Spurgeon's
right at that point.
-
I want to tread carefully here.
-
So that being said by way of introduction,
-
I just want you to
think of the theme here.
-
Look at chapter 1:4.
-
This is the bride:
-
"Draw me after You."
-
And notice how the bride
-
kind of goes from singular to plural.
-
That's how it is.
-
I can speak on very personal terms
-
about Christ's love to me.
-
I can pray to Him, "Draw me,
-
but let us run."
-
It opens up into a plurality.
-
But notice this: these are the two words
-
I want you to see right here.
-
"The King has brought
me into His chambers."
-
There's a King.
-
This is a book about a King.
-
And it's precisely this King
-
who utters those words that we just read
-
in Song of Solomon 1:15.
-
Go back there.
-
This is the King.
-
This is kingly expression.
-
The King of Kings: "Behold,
you are beautiful, My love.
-
Behold, you are beautiful."
-
Who's He speaking to?
-
Now, I want you to see this woman.
-
Notice chapter 1:6.
-
And again, I would say to you,
-
this cannot be taken literally.
-
King Solomon did not have wives
-
who were being abused by their brothers,
-
who were being forced to keep vineyards.
-
That would never have happened.
-
But when you think about the picture
-
of this being the church -
-
just think with me here.
-
Song of Solomon 1:6.
-
She says, "do not gaze
at me because I am dark."
-
In some sense, the church can say that.
-
I am dark. How?
-
We'll touch on that in
a second, but listen to this:
-
"...Because the sun has looked upon me.
-
My mother's sons were angry with me.
-
They made me keeper of the vineyards,
-
but my own vineyard I have not kept."
-
She is a tender of vineyards in the sun,
-
in the heat of the sun.
-
Just tuck that one away.
-
Go to v. 7.
-
"Tell me, You who my soul loves,
-
where You pasture Your flock."
-
And go to v. 8, He answers,
-
"If you do not know,
O most beautiful among women,
-
follow in the tracks of the flock
-
and pasture your young goats
-
beside the shepherd's tents."
-
So she's a tender of vineyards.
-
She is also a shepherdess.
-
But then let's go back. Look at v. 5.
-
"I am very dark."
-
She isn't dark because she's an Ethiopian
-
or from some African country.
-
She specifically says why she's dark.
-
Notice: she's dark because the sun
-
has looked on her.
-
What does that tell us?
-
She's not from among
the ranks of the pampered.
-
She's accustomed to work.
-
She's unaccustomed to being spoiled
-
in the lap of luxury and palaces
-
and covered carriages.
-
She's acquainted with
the fields and the farms.
-
Now, I don't know much about this,
-
but I do know that like
when the kings of England,
-
when the princes,
-
when they marry girls who are not royalty,
-
that gets attention.
-
Like Prince Harry, she may be an actress,
-
but she's a commoner.
-
And wasn't that the case
with his brother too?
-
She wasn't royalty was she?
-
Wasn't that the case with dad?
-
(incomplete thought)
-
But it gets people's attention.
-
Maybe it's become more of a common thing,
-
but the thing I want you to see here
-
is this King has set His
love upon a commoner.
-
Oh, that's good news.
-
No matter how she might be,
-
there's one thing in
this little 8 chapter book
-
that you just cannot miss
-
throughout the whole Song of Solomon.
-
The King finds this lowly girl
-
ravishingly beautiful,
-
and He keeps saying that - just look here:
-
v. 15 where we already looked,
-
"Behold, you are beautiful."
-
You know, typically in
very cultured circles -
-
especially in ancient times,
-
the lighter the skin complexion
-
because they weren't in the sun,
-
there's something almost
desirable about that.
-
And here's a girl that's dark,
-
and He finds her ravishingly beautiful.
-
"Behold, you are beautiful."
-
And if you backtrack a little bit
-
back to v. 8 - we just read this.
-
"Most beautiful..."
-
"Most beautiful among women," v. 8.
-
And look at 2:2 - this is
the title of my message.
-
I called this "A Lily Among Brambles."
-
"As a lily among brambles, so is My love
-
among the young women."
-
I mean, do you realize what that's saying?
-
The King is not saying to His church
-
that she is a lily among lesser flowers.
-
You see that? The truth is God's people
-
stand out from the rest of mankind
-
like a beautiful flower stands out -
-
not from flowers of lesser beauty,
-
but from weeds, from brambles,
-
from briars.
-
That's the picture.
-
What we have to recognize is this,
-
you are either most beautiful
-
or you're briar.
-
There's no middle ground here.
-
It's one or the other.
-
Again, that imagery
-
doesn't really work in this world.
-
Because as far as beauty goes,
-
there's a whole spectrum.
-
But here, this King is saying
-
either lily or bramble.
-
No in-between.
-
Look at Song of Solomon 4:1.
-
He just can't quit saying it.
-
"Behold, you are beautiful, My love.
-
Behold, you are beautiful."
-
And if all that wasn't
enough, look at 4:7.
-
I mean, there's two expressions here.
-
What could we say
-
if you could really embrace this?
-
Christ says this to you, Christian.
-
"You're altogether beautiful, My love."
-
And then not just beautiful.
-
He said you're beautiful altogether.
-
And He examines her and says,
-
"You're perfect."
-
"There's no flaw..."
-
Brethren, my goal is still the same
-
ever since the beginning of this.
-
It is: Father, You had Paul pray,
-
according to the riches of Your glory,
-
have these people to be strengthened
-
so that they can comprehend something
-
of the love that Christ has for them
-
that surpasses all knowledge.
-
Christian, may God give you the ability
-
to comprehend that these are thoughts
-
that Christ has towards you.
-
How many true Christians here among us
-
truly believe that Christ looks at us
-
with such thoughts as these?
-
"You're altogether beautiful, My love.
-
There is no flaw in you."
-
Brethren, do you realize
-
what the blood of Christ is?
-
It's beautifying blood.
-
We think of it as cleansing.
-
Yes, indeed it does that.
-
We think of it as washing.
-
But you have to remember something.
-
It really does cleanse.
-
You know what it is to cleanse?
-
It means the water takes the dirt away.
-
The blood really does that.
-
It really removes every single stain
-
and spot and blemish.
-
Every one of them.
-
We think of it as washing.
-
It does wash, but recognize
it for all that it is.
-
It is beautifying blood.
-
The blood of Jesus Christ
-
washes us beautiful.
-
We don't often think that,
-
but that's what you get here.
-
And I think Spurgeon's right,
-
this is the holy of holies.
-
This is the pinnacle.
-
The other books - even the Gospels perhaps
-
take us into the holy place,
-
but this takes us in further.
-
We get the very thoughts of Christ
-
as He's looking upon His bride,
-
washed in His blood,
-
and He sees not a single flaw.
-
Brethren, men of this world,
-
they find women attractive
-
though there be no love about it.
-
Now all sorts of men in this world
can find women attractive,
-
but they don't love the women at all.
-
And men in this world
can find women attractive
-
even if there are flaws
because there always are.
-
But our Lord's love is never separated
-
from those He finds beautiful
-
because it cost Him His life's blood
-
to make them beautiful.
-
And this is the thing we need to see,
-
He makes them entirely beautiful.
-
It's only those in which there is no flaw
-
that He finds beautiful.
-
Do you recognize?
-
Jesus has no lesser attraction for people
-
who are just somewhat lesser beautiful.
-
That's not the case.
-
Because you know if He
finds even a blemish,
-
He finds them ugly.
-
Totally unfit.
-
Adam's one sin - what happened?
-
God put him away.
God put him out of the garden.
-
There were cherubim with flaming swords.
-
If there's even one blemish,
-
you will certainly go to hell.
-
We need to recognize what it
is that Christ has done for us.
-
He's made us altogether beautiful.
-
And that is hard.
-
That's hard for us to swallow.
-
Christian, I know how you think
-
because I know how I think,
-
and I'm made of the same
stuff that you're made of.
-
(incomplete thought)
-
We walk through life. What happens?
-
We're still subject to sin,
-
failure, falls, coldness,
-
dryness of soul.
-
We didn't sing it today,
but we know it's true.
-
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.
-
And we do that.
-
Because all that's true.
-
So we have a massively hard time
-
believing that Song of
Solomon 4:7 is true.
-
Altogether beautiful?
-
Am I altogether beautiful?
-
There's no flaw in me?
-
Not even one?
-
Look, isn't it a flaw when I don't
-
show hospitality like Brother James said?
-
What if I get selfish, lazy?
-
What if I have thoughts of jealousy
-
or covetousness or pride?
-
Are you telling me that's no flaw?
-
It sure feels like a flaw to me.
-
And we feel that way.
-
We're not thankful.
-
Aren't those blemishes?
-
I feel that they are.
You feel that they are.
-
But I would ask you this,
-
have you never read
-
one of the simple statements made by John?
-
I mean, Spurgeon said it.
-
You can hardly find a four-syllable word
-
in John's writings.
-
Listen to this.
-
You've heard this, but hear it again.
-
"If we walk in the light
-
as He is in the light,
-
we have fellowship with one another
-
and the blood of Jesus His Son
-
cleanses us from all sin."
-
Did you hear that?
-
The blood of Jesus His Son
-
cleanses us from all -
-
altogether beautiful.
-
All of it's gone.
-
Listen to what John is saying.
-
"If we walk in the light..."
-
You see, he doesn't say,
-
"Everybody is beautiful."
-
"Everybody is without blemish."
-
"Everybody has had all sin..."
-
Uh huh... nope.
-
How can we tell in whom
-
the cleansing has taken place?
-
Because they no longer
walk in the darkness.
-
They walk in the light.
-
If you're a real Christian -
-
a person who walks in the light -
-
Jesus said those who walk in darkness,
-
they wouldn't come to Him.
-
Why? Because their deeds were evil.
-
They loved the darkness
more than the light.
-
Oh, but if you know it, you love Christ,
-
you love to be in His presence,
-
you love His righteousness,
-
you have a desire for that.
-
Your heart's been changed.
-
You love God's people.
-
You love His truth.
-
You have a desire for that light.
-
You have this promise.
-
I know you know this, but listen.
-
Doesn't Scripture say that for our sake
-
God made Christ to be
sin who knew no sin,
-
so that we might what? Become what?
-
Do you really take that for what it is?
-
Do you know what it is to
become the righteousness of God?
-
It's to have no blemish in you.
-
It's to be perfect.
-
It's to be altogether beautiful.
-
"By one man's obedience..."
-
have you ever read that?
-
"By one man's obedience" what happened?
-
"The many will be made righteous."
-
And they really are.
-
Do you recognize, Christian,
-
you really are righteous?
-
You really are the righteousness of God.
-
You really are altogether beautiful.
-
His blood really has cleansed away
-
every single sin.
-
And the reality is, every
time there's a new sin,
-
washed clean. It's clean.
-
No blemish can stick to you.
-
You say, oh, those are flaws,
-
but don't you realize the
power of the blood?
-
Altogether beautiful -
even on your worst day.
-
Altogether lovely.
-
I love the imagery of
the Song of Solomon.
-
Look at Song 4:9.
-
Hear Jesus speaking to you, Christian.
-
"You've captivated My heart,
-
My sister, My bride.
-
You've captivated My heart
-
with one glance of your eyes."
-
Now listen to this.
-
This is what I'm shooting at here.
-
"With one jewel of your necklace."
-
I searched "necklace" in the English.
-
And do you know what popped up?
-
This text popped up.
-
Don't turn to it. Just listen to it.
-
Psalm 73:6.
-
Now this is speaking of the wicked,
-
not of the righteous.
-
But if you want to know what a necklace
-
is symbolic of, listen to this.
-
"Therefore pride is their necklace.
-
Violence covers them as a garment."
-
Now you just think about that.
-
Pride is their necklace.
-
When a person is proud,
-
what the psalmist is saying
-
is it's like having a necklace on.
-
It's visible.
-
It's something that's apparent.
-
It's close to the face.
-
It's above the clothes line.
-
It's visible.
-
A necklace is likened to the character
-
of the person.
-
A necklace.
-
The church's necklace
obviously is not pride,
-
but rather whatever it is,
-
it's that which Christ finds
beautiful in His bride.
-
But here's the question to ask:
-
Where does a lowly shepherdess
-
get a necklace of jewels?
-
Well, He gave it to her.
-
You say, where's that in the text?
-
Brethren, I've had a thought
-
cross my mind more than once
-
as I've read through Scripture.
-
Typically, I try to go through the Bible
-
roughly maybe from beginning to end
-
once a year.
-
So maybe once a year over the last
-
almost 30 years I hit the book of Daniel.
-
Have you ever read something like this?
-
Listen to this - Daniel:
-
"I lifted up my eyes and looked
-
and behold a man clothed in linen
-
with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz
-
around His waist.
-
His body was like beryl,
-
His face like the appearance of lightning.
-
His eyes like flaming torches.
-
His arms and legs like the
gleam of burnished bronze.
-
The sound of His words like
the sound of a multitude."
-
This one before Daniel,
-
He says to Daniel,
-
"O Daniel, man greatly loved.
-
Understand the words that I speak to you
-
and stand upright, for now
I have been sent to you."
-
I read those words:
-
"O Daniel, man greatly loved..."
-
I don't know if you've ever read that
-
and thought what I've thought,
-
but I've always thought:
-
Oh Lord, I want to be that man.
-
I want to be that man
that is greatly loved
-
of the Lord.
-
Or you think of John.
-
Remember how John described himself?
-
Just there at the end of John's Gospel.
-
"Peter turned and saw
-
the disciple whom Jesus loved."
-
Don't you want to be that guy?
-
Don't you want that kind of title?
-
I mean he's using it of himself.
-
It's not even somebody else that's saying,
-
"oh, we can see..." (incomplete thought)
-
He's under inspiration.
-
He's certainly not saying that in pride.
-
I think he's saying it in amazement.
-
The thought I've had is this:
-
Oh, to be greatly loved like Daniel!
-
To be the disciple whom
Jesus loved like John!
-
And listen, why do I
have thoughts like that?
-
Because I feel inferior to them.
-
Because it strikes me in my own mind
-
and my own conscience:
-
Oh, well, for him to say that,
-
for those expressions to be made,
-
they were favorites.
-
They were loved more.
-
I mean, I'm less deserving.
-
I feel that. I'm not as holy.
-
I haven't measured up to where they were.
-
I fall short somehow.
-
We're not like so-and-so.
-
But brethren, if only we
might have the eyes to see.
-
The thing is there's no step-children.
-
(incomplete thought)
-
I was just thinking.
-
My mind went to Matthew 25 and I thought
-
Jesus saying "as much as you've done it
-
to one of the least
of these, My brethren..."
-
But then I was also thinking
-
in 1 Thessalonians 5 where it talks about
-
the faint, the weak, the unruly.
-
I'm thinking about the
most faint Christian
-
that's ever lived;
-
the most unruly Christian
that's ever lived;
-
the least of these My brethren.
-
And you know what Jesus says?
-
You're perfect.
-
You are altogether beautiful.
-
There's no flaw in you.
-
There's no blemish.
-
(incomplete thought)
-
Look at chapter 7:10 -
-
He can say this:
-
(this is actually the church speaking).
-
But listen to her confidence.
-
You see, this is where I want you.
-
This is where we need to be.
-
We need to think and say
-
with the same confidence that she can say
-
in this verse:
-
"I am my Beloved's,
-
and His desire is for me."
-
And that's no lie.
-
She wasn't making that up.
-
That's altogether the truth.
-
But oh that we might have the confidence.
-
Listen to me, what happens
-
in the Christian's life?
-
What happens to us when
we really believe this?
-
What happens when
we really get to the place
-
where we believe we're
not second-class Christians?
-
We don't fall short of Daniel and John.
-
The reality is that these
words are spoken
-
to every one of us equally.
-
"I love you,
-
and I find you beautiful,
-
and I desire you."
-
What happens?
-
What happens to a person
-
when they become
filled with the confidence
-
and the assurance that Jesus Christ
-
actually desires them
-
and finds them altogether beautiful
-
all the time?
-
Even when I've had a bad day?
-
What happens when the Christian
-
really embraces this reality?
-
What reality? Like this
reality - chapter 2:10.
-
Look at it.
-
Again, this is her at the beginning,
-
but she's going to tell you what He says.
-
You know, brethren, listen to me.
-
Oftentimes in the Song of Solomon,
-
it doesn't just tell you what He says.
-
She tells you what He says.
-
You say, what does that mean?
-
She has become confident
in His love for her.
-
And that's where we need to be.
-
Now listen to this.
-
This is 2:10,
-
"My Beloved speaks and says to me..."
-
Oh, Christian, may God
give you ears to hear this
-
as Christ's voice to you.
-
"Arise, My love, My beautiful one
-
and come away."
-
"Come away."
-
From where?
-
Whatever preoccupies; whatever distracts;
-
whatever takes you away from Him.
-
Come away.
-
"For behold, the winter is passed.
-
The rain is over and gone.
-
The flowers appear on the earth."
-
I love this:
"The time of singing has come."
-
If you are saved,
this description fits you
-
and it is a time for singing.
-
Christians ought to be the people
-
of all people on the face
of this earth that sing.
-
We have reason to sing.
-
"It is a time of singing and the voice
-
of the turtledove is heard in our land.
-
The fig tree ripens its figs.
-
The vines are in blossom.
-
They give forth fragrance."
-
And He says it again,
-
"Arise, My love, My beautiful one,
-
and come away."
-
I mean, what happens to the Christian
-
who truly hears these words
-
in his or her ears?
-
Look at v. 14.
-
"O My dove in the clefts of the rock..."
-
This is a good picture.
-
We are those doves.
-
Where are the clefts of the rock?
-
That's where the doves hide.
-
Notice: "In the crannies of the cliff."
-
We find places to hide.
-
Where are those hiding places?
-
They're away from being with Him.
-
And He's calling,
-
"Let Me hear your voice."
-
In other words, when you're hid
-
in the crannies of the cliffs,
-
He's not hearing your voice.
-
You're hiding.
-
He's saying, "Come! Come out of there."
-
Remember what she says.
-
"His desire is for me."
-
He says, "Your voice is sweet.
-
Your face is lovely."
-
One of the reasons we shy away
-
is because we feel dirty.
-
We hide.
-
We're too much like Peter, right?
-
We're just like him.
-
"Peter, if I don't wash you,
you have no part with Me."
-
And we feel it. Lord, wash
my head. Wash my hands.
-
And He's saying it's not necessary.
-
But we feel like Peter.
-
Ugh... I haven't had a perfect day,
-
so we feel defiled like Peter.
-
"Wash us, Lord," and He's
saying "you're already clean."
-
You're washed.
-
What happens when this truth grabs us?
-
That our Lord finds us beautiful?
-
Desires us? Calls us to come away?
-
Arise because He wants to
hear our voice? See our face?
-
I'll tell you what happens.
-
No matter what failures
you've experienced,
-
you'll find it a time for singing,
-
a time of shouting,
-
a time to arise and go away.
-
You know what happens
-
when you really start to believe this?
-
It doesn't matter if you've had a bad day.
-
It doesn't matter the
things that you've done.
-
What you're going to find is:
-
I can go to Him and He
wants me to go to Him
-
and He finds me beautiful.
-
And this thing never was
based on my performance.
-
His blood really has made me as clean
-
as what Scripture says.
-
He finds me altogether beautiful.
-
Why? Not because there's
any innate beauty in me.
-
He found me ugly.
-
He found me in my blood and in my sin,
-
but He washed me.
-
And He made me clean and that is so real.
-
And even the eyes of God Himself
-
find no blemish in me.
-
Altogether lovely. Altogether.
-
If you believe this, it will entirely
-
energize your prayer life,
-
because you won't feel like:
-
oh, I've had a rotten day.
-
How could I go pray?
-
And if you can hear His voice saying:
-
"Your face is lovely.
I want to hear your voice.
-
My desire is for you. Come to Me."
-
Oh, the fools we are!
-
We are fools!
-
So often. Why?
-
Because we buy into the lie of the devil.
-
And you can be sure it's him.
-
And I'll tell you this,
-
what he seeks to do is the same thing
-
he did with Eve,
-
and it's to pull you away
-
and the thoughts of your head away
-
from a pure devotion to Christ.
-
That's exactly what the
apostle told the Corinthians.
-
That's what he's doing.
-
And if there's any way to do it,
-
to pull you away from a
sincere devotion to Him,
-
it's by telling you you're ugly,
-
you're full of sin,
-
you can't go to Him,
-
who are you?
-
Paul says that we would not
-
be outwitted by Satan,
-
for we are not ignorant of his designs.
-
Listen to me, one of the
great designs of the devil
-
is to convince you that this is not true.
-
And he will seek to do that
-
and he will seek to whisper
his venom in your ear.
-
(incomplete thought)
-
Listen to the text.
-
(incomplete thought)
-
This is what Paul says to the Corinthians:
-
"I'm afraid that as the serpent
deceived Eve by his cunning,
-
your thoughts..."
-
This comes out of 2 Corinthians 11.
-
"I'm afraid that as the serpent
-
deceived Eve by his cunning,
-
your thoughts..." or your minds,
-
"will be led astray from a sincere
-
and pure devotion to Christ."
-
Now did you get that?
-
He wants to attack you right here.
-
How you think.
-
(Incomplete thought)
-
What this tells us
-
is there's a constant attack
-
on your thoughts.
-
How does he do it?
I don't know how he does it.
-
But you know thoughts
come into your brain.
-
What this tells me is he's got the ability
-
to interject thoughts in your head.
-
When thoughts pop into your mind,
-
that is often him.
-
Now, God can bring thoughts to your mind,
-
but we're not ignorant of his designs.
-
What does he do?
-
He wants thoughts going through our minds
-
that lead us away from Christ;
-
that lead us - did you get the word?
-
Astray. Astray from what?
-
Astray from Christ.
-
Astray from this sincere and pure
-
devotion to Christ.
-
That's the issue.
-
How did the devil deceive Eve?
-
Lead her astray from pure,
-
concentrated attraction
and devotion to Christ?
-
Well, just listen.
-
"The woman said to the serpent,
-
'we may eat the fruit of
the trees in the garden.'"
-
Because you remember,
-
he said, "did God really say
-
that you can't eat of all the trees?"
-
She said, "No, that's not what He said."
-
"'He said we may eat of the fruit
-
of the trees in the garden,'
-
but God said, 'you shall
not eat of the tree
-
that is in the midst of the garden,
-
neither shall you touch it lest you die.'
-
But the serpent said to the woman,
-
'you will not surely die.'"
-
But you know that's not all he said.
-
He didn't just say God's a liar.
-
Listen to what he says.
-
"God knows that when you eat of it,
-
your eyes will be opened
-
and you will be like God
-
knowing good and evil."
-
See? There it is.
-
God's holding out on you.
-
God full well knows that
in the eating of that tree,
-
far from dying like God threatened,
-
the result of eating that fruit
-
will be that you will have
a clearer understanding
-
of both good and evil,
-
a degree of knowledge like
you never had before.
-
You're going to be like God,
-
and God is unwilling that
you should enjoy that.
-
God's unwilling that you should be
-
as happy as you might be.
-
Brethren, we're not ignorant
of the devil's designs.
-
Right?
-
So let's not be ignorant.
-
That's the issue.
-
One design of the devil is this:
-
He will make God's ways
-
into cruelty and drudgery and slavery.
-
He doesn't want you to think
-
that Christianity is like this Groom
-
who comes in and finds
you altogether lovely
-
and His desire is for you and He says,
-
"Commune with Me. It's a time for singing.
-
Come out of your crannies
and cracks of the rocks
-
and I desire to be with you.
-
I want you to walk with Me.
-
I love your voice. I love your face.
-
I want to commune with you."
-
The devil doesn't want you to think
-
Christianity is like that.
-
And you know what? Most of us,
-
when we were lost will admit,
-
we thought Christianity...
-
no, we don't want that.
-
God's a killjoy!
-
He's going to give me a
bunch of laws and rules
-
and make my life miserable!
-
And see, the devil's right there.
-
Oh, he wants you to
think exactly like that.
-
Exactly.
-
The devil would have us think
-
that Christ doesn't really like us.
-
You know what he wants you to think?
-
He's constantly frowning.
-
You didn't measure up today.
-
That's how he wants you to think
-
because that's how he is.
-
But that's not how Christ is.
-
That blood washed you clean.
-
The devil's always whispering:
-
"Oh, God has such a hard time liking you."
-
"He doesn't really love you."
-
He puts a spin on God.
-
"God is selfish and self-serving
-
and uncaring."
-
He would have us see God
-
and see Christ as being cold towards us
-
and distant and unapproachable
-
and angry and hostile, uncaring.
-
Bunyan picked up on this
-
in Pilgrim's Progress.
-
Listen, Pilgrim is coming across the plain
-
and it says, "Now
Christian had not gone far
-
in this valley of humiliation
-
before he was severely tested.
-
For he noticed a very foul fiend."
-
Apollyon coming across the field.
-
Listen to what Apollyon says to him.
-
"Consider what it will be like
-
when your spirit is low."
-
So, he's saying to Christian,
-
you better think about
this path you're getting on
-
following the king's path.
-
He said "Christ is going to bring you
-
into low places,
-
and at the same time,
-
you have much to encounter
-
in the way you're going.
-
You're aware that for the most part,
-
Christ's servants come to a wretched end.
-
And yet, He's never come
from His heavenly residence
-
to rescue any of His servants."
-
He's basically saying Christ is going to
-
put you on a hard way.
-
It's going to be a cruel way,
-
and He doesn't come to help you.
-
But you just tell me this.
-
What happens when God comes from Heaven
-
and takes upon Himself human flesh?
-
What does He do? What is He like?
-
When this pure, radiance
-
of the glory of God walks
this earth as a man
-
and He says out of all the miracles
-
that I could start my ministry with,
-
what would send the clearest
message to these people
-
of My goodness towards them?
-
He goes to a wedding
-
and He turns water into wine.
-
It's the best wine!
-
Scripture says, "Your
love is better than wine,"
-
there in the Song of Solomon.
-
What does that say to us?
-
Is He saying, "Look at Me. I'm cruel.
-
I'm uncaring.
-
I've come to make life hard for you."
-
He comes saying,
-
"I have come to give mankind joy
-
and freedom and life more abundantly.
-
I've come to pour out My love on you."
-
As undeserving as you may be,
-
He came to procure for Himself a bride.
-
But He knew the stock of mankind
-
into which He was coming.
-
He came to make Himself a bride
-
out of the fallen, the wretched,
-
the broken, the lowly.
-
This is the love of Christ.
It surpasses understanding.
-
Just look at the desire of the Savior
-
in the Song of Solomon.
-
I'll take you here again.
-
Chapter 2:10.
-
Again, this is her speaking.
-
I want you to speak this way, brethren.
-
I want you to be able to say this
-
with confidence.
-
"My Beloved speaks and says to Me,
-
'Arise, My love, My beautiful
one and come away.'"
-
And you know one of
the things that I'd say
-
is we should tune our
ears to hear His voice.
-
You feel quickened to pray?
-
You feel some drawing?
-
You feel some necessity?
-
Don't ever despise that.
-
"For behold, the winter is passed..."
-
Again, He says, "the time
of singing has come."
-
Or you look at v. 13 again.
-
"The fig tree ripens its figs.
-
The vines are in blossom.
-
They give forth fragrance.
-
Arise, My love, My beautiful one,
-
and come away."
-
Or you go to Song of Solomon 4:8.
-
Here you see it again.
-
"Come with Me from Lebanon, My bride."
-
Come with Me from Lebanon.
-
Come with Me.
-
He bids you to come away.
-
Not to go away from Him.
-
Come with Me.
-
Brethren, I don't know how it is with you,
-
but I know how it is with me.
-
I fall.
-
I fail.
-
I'm foolish.
-
And a thought arises in my head:
-
Can I just go to Him now?
-
After what I've done?
-
There's an innate works
mindset built into us
-
just from the stock of which we come.
-
It's almost like we feel like
-
we have to do a certain measure of penance
-
to kind of get ourselves back.
-
But listen,
-
the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us.
-
Didn't John say it?
-
He said, "My little children,
-
I'm writing to you that you don't sin,
-
but if you sin, we have an
Advocate with the Father,
-
Jesus Christ the Righteous."
-
We can run to Him.
-
We can confess our sins
-
and He's faithful and just to forgive.
-
The last place you want to go anytime
-
is away from Christ.
-
But the devil will have you do it.
-
Don't despise this.
-
We know his designs.
-
His design is to take you away
-
from this pure, sincere
devotion to Christ.
-
Having Christ in your eyes.
-
He's calling you, "Come. Come away."
-
"Come to Me."
-
The devil's right there:
"No, you can't go.
-
You can't go. He's angry with you."
-
But listen... listen to His voice.
-
"Arise, My love, My beautiful one,
-
and come away."
-
That's a statement for the ages.
-
It's true every single
day of your saved life.
-
And Satan says, "Uh huh. You're ugly."
-
And Christ says, "You're beautiful."
-
He says, "You're ugly!"
-
Christ says, "You're beautiful."
-
Who are you going to believe?
-
He's a liar. Who are you going to believe?
-
Have you ever considered
-
the account in Zechariah?
-
You might want to turn there.
-
Go to Zechariah.
-
Second to the last book
of the Old Testament.
-
You have Zephaniah, Haggai,
-
and then Zechariah right before Malachi.
-
Look at chapter 3.
-
Chapter 3:3.
-
"And Joshua was standing before the Angel
-
clothed with filthy garments."
-
Zechariah 3:3.
-
"Joshua was standing before the Angel
-
clothed with filthy garments."
-
Now go back up to v.1.
-
"He showed me Joshua the high priest
-
standing before the Angel of the Lord."
-
Notice, Satan's there.
-
So you have Joshua
-
clothed in filthy garments.
-
There's Satan.
-
He's standing - undoubtedly at
the right hand of the Lord -
-
to accuse Joshua.
-
And look at v. 2.
-
"The Lord said to Satan,
-
'The Lord rebuke you, O Satan!
-
The Lord who has chosen
Jerusalem rebuke you.
-
Is not this a brand
plucked from the fire?'"
-
You know what's true?
-
He was standing there in a filthy garment.
-
And you know what's true?
-
Most of the devil's accusations
about you are true.
-
Your failures that he throws in your face?
-
You did fail.
-
That's a reality.
-
We do sin. We do fail. We do fall.
-
We are foolish.
-
And yet, we can say,
-
"Satan, the Lord rebuke you."
-
Why? Because we too are brands
-
plucked from the fire.
-
Look at v. 4,
-
"The Angel said to those who were
-
standing before Him,
-
'remove the filthy garments...'"
-
This is what the blood does.
-
"Remove the filthy garments from him.
-
And to him He said, 'Behold, I have
-
taken your iniquity away from you
-
and I will clothe you
with pure vestments.'"
-
You see, the devil, he knows what we do.
-
He throws it in our face.
-
But the reality is that
the Lord says to us:
-
"I know what you've done.
-
And I know better than
the devil what you've done.
-
And I didn't withhold My love from you
-
at the first because of your sins
-
and I don't withhold it now.
-
Arise, My love, My beautiful one,
-
and come away."
-
What a special love this is!
-
Because listen, when the devil fell,
-
there was no sweet voice
-
bidding him to come away.
-
The way is barred for him forever.
-
And he would have you think
-
that the way is barred to you as well,
-
but you remember this: he's a liar.
-
He's the father of lies.
-
The voice of your Savior is this:
-
"Let Me see your face."
-
You wake up in the morning;
-
this is true all the time.
-
It speaks in your ears
-
every moment of your saved life.
-
"Let Me see your face.
-
Let Me hear your voice."
-
If you listen to the devil's voice,
you know what you'll hear?
-
"Well, even if Jesus is
bidding somebody to come
-
which it seems like in these words He is,
-
it's someone who's beautiful.
-
And that rules you out.
-
And if that actually is Jesus
-
saying that He finds you beautiful,
-
well, now you know you can't
really take Him seriously
-
because you know that
doesn't describe you."
-
Or he just says to us,
-
"You know what?
-
None of this is Jesus
speaking to you at all.
-
This is just Solomon talking
to one of his women.
-
This isn't Jesus talking to you."
-
But if you'll listen to Jesus' voice:
-
"Let Me see your face.
-
Let Me hear your voice.
-
For your voice is sweet,
-
and your face is lovely."
-
And you know, to those of you
-
that don't know this Savior,
-
there is a text, and it speaks to you.
-
It's found in Psalm 45
and it goes this way:
-
"Hear, O daughter, and consider
-
and incline your ear.
-
Forget your people
-
and your father's house
-
and the King will desire your beauty."
-
That's a beautiful picture of repentance.
-
Turn away from your ways,
-
your people, and turn to Him,
-
and look to that blood to wash you,
-
and the King will desire
your beauty as well.
-
But you've got to go to Him
to make you beautiful.
-
Don't think - don't ever tell somebody,
-
"Well, I'm a good person.
I'm going to get there."
-
If you say that, you are ugly.
-
All your best works do -
-
the best works of righteousness
-
that you accomplish are filthy rags.
-
You say, "Well, I'm a good person."
-
No, you're not. You're ugly.
-
But if you say,
"I went to Him in all my sin.
-
I cried to Him
-
and He's washed me with His blood."
-
I'll tell you this, you're perfect.
-
There is no spot. There is no blemish.
-
And His desire is for you.
-
And He wants to commune with you.
-
He knocks at that door.
-
He says, "Open to Me, so I can come in."
-
And we're going to see in chapter 5
-
of the Song of Solomon,
-
it is to come in and eat
-
and it is to come in for intimacy.
-
We're talking the picture
-
of a bridegroom and his bride.
-
This is what He wants with His people.
-
Christianity is the best imaginable thing.
-
It is being drawn into this world
-
of the love of the Savior;
-
the attraction of the Savior;
-
the purity of the Savior;
-
the longings of the Savior;
-
the intimacy, the communion
and interaction
-
with the Savior -
this is true Christianity.
-
You don't want to fall short of this.
-
Don't buy into cheap
imitations of Christianity.
-
Oh, well, I made a decision.
-
I said a prayer.
-
People have a form of godliness,
-
but they deny the power thereof.
-
You don't want that.
-
You want this.
-
This is good.
-
This is a time of singing
when you've got this.
-
If you don't have this, it's all a mirage.
-
It's a fake. It's an imitation.
-
You don't want that.
-
Religion like that - it's morbid,
-
it's horrible.
-
You may as well go back
to the world than have that.
-
It's just a delusion.
-
In the end, you spend
your whole life religious
-
and then you hear His voice.
-
"Oh Lord, I did all the things."
-
"Depart from Me you
workers of lawlessness."
-
No, go to Him and have Him
-
wash that lawlessness altogether away
-
so that you are altogether beautiful.
-
Father, I pray,
-
may You convince Your
people of the reality
-
that Christ actually thinks these thoughts
-
towards His people.
-
Convince us.
-
According to the riches of
Your glory convince us,
-
that we might comprehend
the realities of this love.
-
I pray in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.